CSK were 24/4 in the first innings after MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat, but still found a way to win the encounter against MI by 20 runs.
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The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) returned with all of its pomp and glamour, and they had a clash of the titans tie in their first match back for the fans. The Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were at it again with the men in yellow clinching an extraordinary victory by 20 runs. To say that the surface was unfavourable to batters would be an understatement. The runs dried up and the wickets kept tumbling in the first innings. One could look at the way the batters played on the track and infer that a score of 150 plus would be a strong total given the surface. That is exactly what CSK did. They scratched and clawed their way somehow to 156 and that was enough. The bowlers did an exceptional job and brought home the victory for MS Dhoni’s men.
CSK was the first side to bat in the contest. There was good build-up ahead of the match and several fans had expected a high-scoring game that would go down to the wire. While the game was not exactly either, it was a dream from the perspective of a bowling fan. The intimidating batting lineup of the Super Kings fell like a house of cards as Adam Milne, Jasprit Bumrah, and Trent Boult ran riot. They were 24-4 at one point in the match.
However, a batting masterclass by opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who remained unbeaten on 88 from 58 deliveries powered CSK to 156. He was well supported by Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo who scored 26 and 23 respectively. No one else managed to get into double figures. There was an injury concern for CSK as Ambati Rayudu was retired hurt during the first innings.
Bumrah, Boult, and Milne were the only wicket-takers for the men in blue. All three took two wickets apiece with Milne being the most economical one, giving away just 21 runs in his four overs. Many expected the defending champions to get an easy victory but the men in yellow had other ideas.
MI did get off to a decent start, certainly better than that of their opponents. They were also in a perilous position at 37-3 but it was much better than the 24-4 the Super Kings had found themselves in. The problem was that while a number of batters got good starts, none could manage to convert it into a good score. Saurabh Tiwary did score 50 runs but it was a slow knock and there was no one to support him. Openers Quinton de Kock and Anmolpreet Singh made 17 and 16 runs respectively while Ishan Kishan could only manage 11. Skipper Kieron Pollard and Adam Milne scored 15 each.
The CSK bowlers did a fantastic job of replicating what MI did in the first innings and they did it better. Bravo was the pick of the bowlers as he picked three wickets and gave away only 25 runs in his four overs. Deepak Chahar also did a great job as he bagged a couple of wickets and conceded just 19 runs. Josh Hazlewood and Shardul Thakur picked one wicket each. The CSK innings finished at 136-8.
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